Butterflies
by The Maine Coon Cat
Summary: When Vendetta, tired of Charlotte's antics, unleashes personality-altering butterfly-fiends on the girl, she realizes that she may have gotten more than she bargained for....
1. Chapter 1

**Butterflies**

By Faith (a.k.a. The Maine Coon Cat)

_Summary: When Vendetta, tired of Charlotte's antics, unleashes personality-altering butterfly-fiends on the girl, she realizes she may have gotten more than she bargained for. After all, even a stupid, obnoxious Charlotte is easier to deal with than what __**she's**__ created.... _

Chapter One

In the scheme of things, children rarely play a large role. When laws are passed, when countries go to war...even in the most mundane decisions of our everyday lives, we often fail to take children's opinions into consideration. Adults simply believe that youngsters do not have the capacity to make choices about "grown-up" issues, and thus overlook them completely. Still, there are some children (more than you would think, really) who are born with the wit and capability to not only be _noticed_ by adults, but to actually _control_ them.

Vendetta was one of these children.

Those in Clamburg who were old enough to remember recalled that her parents had moved into town about seven years ago. That was back when things were bright and lively; when people sang at the bandstand in the park and stopped to talk to each other on the street. Back when no one had to rush to get home and bolt the doors behind them out of fear of being eaten alive. Back before all the stores and attractions had been crudely boarded shut...and back when the two Bulgarian immigrants were just a normal couple trying to make their way in the world like everybody else.

And then she had come.

There was always something different about little Vendetta. Perhaps it was that fateful day in first grade when she somehow forced poor Maggie to throw herself off the top of the slide. It might have been in third grade, when she threw a dictionary at Malachi because his odd way of speaking infuriated her. Or maybe it was when her parents both mysteriously disappeared without a trace....Whatever and whenever it was, however, the people of the small, happy community of Clamburg slowly began to realize that trouble was brewing.

Yet, how could they have known the enormity of the situation? It wasn't until those "fiends" were unleashed...those horrid monsters that ate flesh and watched their every move. No one could say where such a young girl could have gotten a "recipe" book that showed her how to make those wretched creatures. Could it have been a relic from Bulgaria? A secret family heirloom, possibly? Her parents could have kept it for years, unaware of its power. After all, who would believe such things as real, live monsters could exist? At least, who _then_? Now, of course, there was no question.

Now...now everyone lived very cautious lives. No one wanted to bear the brunt of the child's fury. As harmless as she may have seemed before, with her cute face and childish pigtails, everyone was well-aware of the threat she posed to their living out the rest of their lives in peace...or at all.

Well, of course, there was _one_ exception...

Charlotte.

What was to be said about the little blue girl who greeted each and every person with a smile– even Vendetta? None of the trouble she caused (plentiful though it was) was purposeful. She was simply, as Vendetta herself often exclaimed, too _stupid_ to realize that she was constantly teetering on the edge of death. If given the proper incentive, she could most likely be talked into walking off the side of a cliff. It was this unique ability (or disability, one may argue) to overlook all that was bad or harmful in the world that made her so powerful. In a town where even the adults were basically Vendetta's bond-slaves, she could sing and dance and walk about freely, unaware that danger was on her every side. It made many hate her; but it also made them jealous. "Ignorance is bliss!", the old saying goes; so maybe she alone– in all of her stupidity– was better off than the lot of them.

Mr. Milk certainly hoped so, anyway. He liked Charlotte, despite the frights she often gave him when she riled up his "favorite" green student. She was the only child who had ever given him an apple; the only person in years who had positively acknowledged his existence without him having to use a demonic toupee in order to get their attention. Every day, he watched over her and his other students closely, hoping beyond hope that they would all remain safe and whole throughout the day– with the exception of Vendetta. Though he was too timid to admit it, even to himself, he secretly hoped that the girl would get eaten by one of those awful creatures she was so keen on making.

On this particular morning, he paused and the doorway, casting a weary glance back at the perpetually overcast sky, and sighed. She would be here again today. She was always here.

"You STUPID girl! Do not touch my hair!"

...And there she was.

"Aw, but, Vendetta-! Your hair looks so _pretty_ in braids!"

Mr. Milk stepped inside his (as if it were, he thought depressively) classroom to see most of his children scooting their chairs toward the walls, away from the two girls at the front of the room. The first, a pretty, cheerful blue child, was wielding a brush and a plethora of shiny ribbons; some of which had been knocked to the floor by the the latter-- the furious green girl she was trying to work her magic on. Next to both of them stood a giant, malevolent-looking hamster, who was unsuccessfully trying to shoo the blue child away.

"Ah...g-g-girls? Wh-what's– ?"

Vendetta was seething. "My hair is not to be touched! My hair is not to be in braids! My hair is not to look _PRETTY_!" With one swipe, she cuffed the brush out of Charlotte's hands, sending it spinning across the floor. "_Leave me alone_!"

"U-um– "

The green girl's head whipped around, her eyes narrowing on the pasty teacher. Per usual, she said nothing; just stared at him in satisfaction as he practically stumbled to the chalkboard, where the red bird-fiend waited. "U-um, he-hello, class...." Though he knew it made no difference– that he would never get anywhere with it; he held up a book, "I was, uh, thinking that we could, well, study b-butterflies today? Maybe?"

As he had feared, Vendetta scoffed loudly, "Butterflies? Butterflies?! I hate butterflies!"

Charlotte clapped merrily, her previous efforts to beautify her "friend" already forgotten. "Oh, yay! I LOVE butterflies! They're so pretty and colorful and--"

"Butterflies sicken me!" The pigtailed girl struck her desk angrily. "We will not learn about butterflies today-- or ever!"

"B-but– " He stuttered miserably. "I– "

"Isn't it time for _recess_?"

The red monster squawked; the giant hamster grunted, and Mr. Milk knew he was beaten. "O-of course, Vendetta. I-I suppose it is."

"Good." With a sickening smirk, she brushed past him, throwing a crumpled ribbon that she had torn from her hair at his feet.

As the entire class slowly filed outside, he sighed to himself. Shoulders sagging, he set the book aside. As long as _she_ was here, none of these children would ever have a proper education...and he was too much of a coward to do anything about it.

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Vendetta smirked to herself. It always gave her a rush of pleasure when anybody cowed to her, but especially when it was a full-grown adult.

Her pleasure faded, however, when she heard the obnoxious squealing of the girl behind her.

"Oooo, Vendetta! Let's go look for butterflies!"

The green girl groaned, massaging her forehead. Charlotte's voice always seemed to give her a headache. "Go look for them yourself! I am busy!"

Whether it was because she was completely oblivious to the order or had simply refused to acknowledge it, Charlotte happily grabbed Vendetta's hands and began to frolic in circles, dragging the horrified girl along with her, "Butterflies! Butterflies! Flying all across the skies! Pretty wings, pretty things-- make me want to dance and sing!"

This continued for several minutes until, with a shriek, Vendetta pried the blue girl's hand from her wrist. She would most likely have thrown something as well, but going round and round with Charlotte so long had made her too dizzy to aim properly. "Agck! You stupid girl! You like butterflies so much?" Putting her hands to her hips, she shot said 'stupid girl' the most intimidating grin she could manage with her breakfast still in her throat. "Fine! I will make you _butterflies_!"

"Oh, YAY!" Charlotte cheered. "You're the BEST, Vendetta!"

Tossing her pigtails over her shoulders, Vendetta gave a final, emphatic "hmph" before stalking away.

Having overheard her threat, the remaining children on the playground gulped, darting frightened glances at the little powder-blue girl who was pirouetting over the dead brown grass.

"Butterflies, butterflies! Flying all across the skies...!"

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"Ugh, that stupid girl! How I hate her!" Vendetta paced about her kitchen in a frenzy, her "recipe book" (if so benign a name could be given it) in her hands. "Always happy, always singing, always _braiding my hair_!"

Grudge grunted in agreement, sidestepping so as not to get run over.

"She likes butterflies, eh? She thinks they are so pretty? I will show her _pretty_!" Scanning the pages, she cackled triumphantly, "Here it is! ...Oh, this is even more perfect than I thought! Heh-heh-heh!"

Her laughter died in an instant, and she shot her hamster a stern frown, "Hamster!"

With another grunt, the creature scurried off to get the fiend-mix. Meanwhile, Vendetta rubbed her hands together in glee.

"That stupid girl will never know what hit her. Heh-heh-heh...."

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	2. Chapter 2

**Butterflies**

By Faith W.(a.k.a. The Maine Coon Cat)

Chapter Two

Vendetta's house was hardly a charming place. Large and looming; painted a dark, mossy green and abundant with fiendish decor, it was more like something out of a B-rated horror flick. Of course, it had not always been this way. Back when her parents had been of a somewhat taller stature and in control over their own lives, the house had been a lovely place to look at. Tourists had regularly stopped to take pictures of it when they drove by.

....No one would bother to take pictures of it anymore, though; much less dare to come within ten yards of it.

In the kitchen of said house, which was also slathered in vile green paint, Vendetta stood cackling over a simmering pot of viscous liquid. Her face glowing in the eerie light that emanated from the roiling ooze, she could easily have been confused with any traditional witch. "Yes! Yes! It is ready!"

Grudge, who had been stirring the slime for no less than half an hour, sighed in relief– his arm was starting to feel distinctly cramped. Setting the spoon on the table, he waited for the usual explosion or metamorphoses that took place when a fiend was created. However, after watching the pot remain motionless for several seconds, he furrowed his brow in concern. If it was so ready, why was nothing happening?

Puzzled, he glanced up to see his master glowering malevolently at him.

"Hamster!" She yelled, "Pour it _out_!"

Grudge's eyes widened, a confused grunt escaping him. Her order was uttered in such a way that he realized she thought he should have known what to do all along. If he could have talked back, he might have pointed out that he hadn't had any idea– because she hadn't_ informed _him. However, though he had secretly questioned his master's directions more than once, he had yet to openly defy her. Still, the idea of pouring the molten mixture all over the floor less than enthused him. He hesitated briefly, earning himself a terrible glare, and with a wince proceeded to tip the pot.

Contrary to what he had expected, the liquid did not melt through the floorboards– nor did it even reach them. In an instant, the glowing ooze hardened and burst into an array of neon-bright butterflies. Butterflies...with inch-long fangs.

"Quickly, Hamster!" The green girl shoved an oversized canister into his face, "Capture them!"

In a panic, he waved the box, dancing about the room as though he had gone rabid. No way, no _how_ did he want to get bitten by one of Vendetta's creations. Especially not a creation meant for Charlotte, of all people. After a few mindless moment of scurrying about, he had successfully trapped them all. With a cry, Vendetta sprang forwards, slamming the lid on top.

"Done." She sighed and allowed herself a small, self-satisfied smile. With a nod, she directed her gaze to him, "Good work."

Despite the fright he had experienced not seconds before, Grudge found himself timidly smiling along with her. Vendetta rarely complemented him on anything he did, but it was moments like these that made it all worthwhile. "Good work" beat "Stupid Hamster" any day. Carefully placing the container on the table, he gave her an inquiring grunt.

...Which she instantly interpreted, "'What will it do?' Heh-heh-heh." With a wave of her hand, she beckoned him to step closer; then pointed at the box, "You saw their fangs, yes? One bite from those fangs will instantly reverse anyone's personality!" A fevered excitement lit her eyes, "Even Charlotte's!"

Grudge took a second to process this. "Hmm?"

Vendetta groaned, "What do you think, you stupid Hamster?! What is Charlotte like _now_?"

When he didn't answer, she suddenly rose on her tiptoes, a goofy grin splitting her face. He backed away in horror, only to hear her spout, in a high-pitched voice, "Oh, I am _Charlotte_! I am the happiest stupid little girl in the world!" This was punctuated with many twirls and some prancing, "Wee! I like to touch Vendetta's hair even though her hair is _not_ to be touched! I want to be her _friiiieeennnnd_! GAH!"

Vendetta shuddered, as if just pretending to be her enemy was too much for her constitution to bear. Grudge knew it was certainly too much for his. "She is like _that_! And what is the opposite of that?"

When he didn't reply, she slammed her fist on the table, momentarily upsetting the canister full of fiends. "SAD. Sad, for all of time! So sad that she will never sing or dance or braid my hair AGAIN!" More cackling. "But, come.... Let us go back to school. I am sure that Charlotte will be waiting for us. And for her _butterflies_."

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Everyone in Mr. Milk's class felt the black cloud of trepidation looming over them. Everyone, of course, except Charlotte. The girl was many things– cute, cheerful, obnoxious as sin– but sadly, _smart _was not one of her qualities. She was still singing to herself, still waiting for her "best friend" to return with the pretty butterflies she had so generously promised to make.

Meanwhile, Mr. Milk was attempting to make the most out of a Vendetta-free class. "And, um, the-then the caterpillar builds a c-cocoon and– "

_SLAM._

The poor man gasped, leaping away and shielding himself as though a bomb had just detonated. In the doorway, his "favorite pupil" leered at him, raising an amused eyebrow at his terror. "Oh-! He-hello, Vendetta.... I was, um, I was– "

But the girl promptly ignored him, more important matters obviously on her mind, "Hamster!"

Mr. Milk shuddered aloud and coward behind his desk as the enormous hamster entered the room. It was not the sight of said hamster that frightened him, however (he had kind of grown pretty used to that), but the large, translucent box it was carrying. In it, the teacher could make out bright, flitting things, colored in various shades of green, red, and yellow. "Um...wh-wha– "

"_Charlotte_." Vendetta cooed. Mr. Milk's stomach turned. Anytime Vendetta's voice had that sickly sweet tone, something terrible was about to happen. "I brought you your _butterflies_."

"Oh, YAY!" The blue girl squealed.

Vendetta grinned, "Hamster, open the box!"

The moment Grudge's hand neared the lid, every child in the classroom (minus Charlotte) bolted, shrieking. Mr. Milk was right behind them. At the door, he paused, casting a guilty last look over his shoulder at Charlotte– trapped in there with a monster like Vendetta and her awful fiends. If he were more of a man, perhaps he would be able to run back in and save her, but as it was, he merely joined the other children in peering through the doorway.

With a dull _pop_, the lid was opened, and the butterfly fiends were released. Charlotte gasped with joy as they took to the air while Vendetta backed away, not wanted to get bitten herself. After all, it wouldn't do to have her _wonderful_ personality altered.

"Oh, thank you, Vendetta!" Charlotte leapt to her feet, twirling amidst all of the bright creatures. Clasping her hands, she turned shining eyes on her supposed best friend, "You're the best!"

The green girl merely chuckled, rubbing her hands together. "Heh-heh-heh...you are welcome!"

"Butterflies, butterflies, flying all across the skies! Pretty wings, pretty things, make me want to dance and sing!" Charlotte pranced out of the classroom, closely followed by the demonic little beasts. Vendetta, too, followed, her grin growing wider. As soon as they cleared the playground, Mr. Milk and the rest of the children ran back inside, slamming the door behind them. No one wanted to get caught in between the two girls...or among all those fiends.

Charlotte continued to skip along obliviously, but still the creatures did not bite. Vendetta's smile faltered a bit; she was growing impatient. "What are you waiting for?!" she snarled at the nearest fiend, "Bite her! Do it NOW!"

The singing girl had barely passed the Discount Clams Emporium, her song on its second stanza, "Butterflies, butterflies, I looked at them with my eyes! Pretty green and red and blue, over my head they flew!" She failed to see a particularly vivid red creature closing in on her left hand, "Come on, Vendetta! Sing alooonnnggg!"

With a sickening crunch, the creature sunk its teeth into the child.

"OW!" Charlotte halted so fast that she nearly tripped over her own feet. The "butterfly", having accomplished its one purpose in life, dissolved into a puff of red smoke. Almost immediately, its venom took effect, and the girl's eyes began to glaze, "Oh, I...feel funny...." Swaying, she took a woozy step back. "I feel...nnn...."

She collapsed on the pavement.

"YES! _YES!_" The green girl howled, and bent over her enemy's prone form as if to inspect it. Straightening up, she struck a satisfied pose, "Hamster! Gather the fiends! Their work is done."

Grudge nodded, hurrying to fulfill his duty as his master continued to gloat.

"Soon– soon she will awaken, never to torment me again!" Vendetta burst into a fit of evil laughter. "Finally!"

As he snapped the lid back on the box, Grudge noticed Charlotte's eyes begin to open slightly. Shocked, he grunted a warning, "HMM!"

"What?" His master snapped, then blinked, "Ah!"

Charlotte was indeed awake, scrubbing at her bleary eyes with the back of her good hand, "Where– where am I....?" she moaned.

Unable to help herself, Vendetta chuckled. The gleeful grin on her face was so large that her teeth were actually showing. "Charlotte.... How are you _feeling_?"

"Vendetta?" Charlotte pulled a face. It was not a sad expression, that much was obvious. Vendetta's grin dissolved into a puzzled frowned. "What happened?"

Recovering slightly from her initial disappointment, the green girl shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. After all, Charlotte's personality still had to be altered _somehow_. "You, ah...you fell!"

Sitting up, Charlotte studied her bitten palm. The two puncture holes were painfully obvious. "What happened to my hand?"

Now Vendetta's frown was one of utter bewilderment. Something wasn't quite right.... It was that stupid blue girl's stupid voice, but it wasn't quite right. There was an underlying...edge to it. Not of pain or sadness, as Vendetta would have expected (and, indeed, had hoped for), but of...wait–

_Irritation?_

The thought wiped even the frown from Vendetta's face, leaving a blank, stupefied stare in its wake. Never– never had she heard even a _trace_ of irritation in Charlotte's voice before. It was actually kind of...unnerving. She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "You– ah– you fell on two...nails! Yes! That's what happened." Clenching her teeth, she flashed the blue girl her best approximation of a charming smile.

Charming smiles, however, were not Vendetta's forte, and she ended up looking somewhat crazed.

Still, crazed or not, for the first time she could remember, the blue girl did not respond to her trickery in the same naive manner as she always had. Instead, Charlotte fixed her with a highly suspicious scowl. The green girl took a step back, eyes darting from side to side. This was an extremely unexpected turn of events, and she had no idea as how to deal with it. With her giant hamster to back her up, safety wasn't an issue. It was the fact that no one had ever _scowled_ at her before. She had, whether by force or cunning, always been able to have the upper hand in situations like this. No one dared to question her.

At least, not until _now_.

"Really?" Charlotte shrugged as if she knew Vendetta were lying, and that it didn't matter much to her either way. Standing up, she took a look at the wreck of a town that surrounded her, "Ugh, what a dump.... Why did I ever like this place so much?"

Suddenly, the blue girl smiled, but it was not Charlotte's trademark giddy grin. Instead, it was as sinister and malevolent as any smile Vendetta had ever let stretch her lips. "But maybe I'll _change_ all that, huh?"

The fiend-maker felt as though what was left of her heart had sunk to her toes. This feeling was made even worse when Charlotte, seeming to sense her discomfort, laughed.

It wasn't the girl's usual, "Tee-hee!"

In fact, it sounded more like....

"_Heh-heh-heh_...."

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_Please read & review...._


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